


By Slumbering Weald (And Tundra Below)

by thepizzasitter



Series: How We Fit (Your Hands In Mine) Verse [11]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Aftercare, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, BDSM, BDSM Scene, Bottom Dande | Leon, Bottom Nezu | Piers, Closet Sex, Crown Snowfield | Crown Tundra (Pokemon), Dirty Talk, Dom/sub, Dominance, Edgeplay, Fighting Kink, Fluff and Smut, Gentleness, Light breeding kink, M/M, Marathon Sex, Multi, Oral Sex, Overstimulation, Painplay, Pokemon Battles, Pokemon Sword & Shield Expansion Pass: The Crown Tundra, Polyamory, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Predator/Prey, Rimming, Rough Body Play, Rough Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Sex In A Cave, Sexual Fantasy, Sloppy Seconds, Smut, Strength Kink, Threesome - M/M/M, Top Kibana | Raihan, Top Nezu | Piers, and they all gotta bone about it, and who would i be if i couldn't write caves pt 2, because i did promise leon a turn at being prey last time, don't let the tags fool you this is soft af, everyone has a very very good time, i'll add tags if they become relevant, in a cave in the tundra, in which raihan finally beats leon for real, primal kink, primal play
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:13:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27786535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepizzasitter/pseuds/thepizzasitter
Summary: ...thou planteth seed in the bed of snow.  That come with Spring, our love may grow. A love that dawned an age ago.---Raihan nearly tripped over his own feet when he started walking towards Leon. A hand was already outstretched, waiting to congratulate him.He started sprinting, and the crowd finally erupted.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan, Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan/Nezu | Piers, Dande | Leon/Nezu | Piers, Kibana | Raihan/Nezu | Piers
Series: How We Fit (Your Hands In Mine) Verse [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1692952
Comments: 36
Kudos: 99





	1. Victory Sign

**Author's Note:**

> Alright everyone, the promised second update this week to the series is heeeere! Or at least the first chapter of it! I'll be adding notes for each chapter, so be sure to read those as well.
> 
> This fic will be an out of order account of the events surrounding the moment that Raihan finally beats Leon in an official capacity. I'm excited to showcase how much they've all grown!
> 
> The War Of Weald hero's monologue is a concept created by the magnificent [Baku](https://twitter.com/B4KUCH1N) and can be found in this comic [here!](https://twitter.com/B4KUCH1N/status/1321108280731598850?s=20) They came up with the majority of the piece, while I finished it where it leaves off at the line, "I discard." Go check out all of their art, it's simply magical and I can't recommend their work enough! An additional thing to notice is a line where Leon says something about the Shantaleare Company as a pun on the Shakespeare Company. [Shauntal](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Shauntal) is a canon Pokémon character from Unova and is the Ghost type Elite Four member in that region and a writer in her spare time. Thought it might be a fun nod if maybe she herself was a ghost as well ;)
> 
> Music I listened to for this chapter was [In A Week](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDZnKWdvTUo) by Hozier because it so beautifully fits the themes of the final rotting away of an old life before the new one begins, the Weald and the Tundra in tandem, and new bloom cultivated by a third set of hands. It contrasts with the easy playfulness of the chapter, because Leon's world is paradox in so many ways.
> 
> I posted this in The Hunter's Hold (A Dragon's Keep), so I'll post it again here: [It's an example of what I mean when I say someone growls or snarls in this fic.](https://soundcloud.com/user-500586804/snarl-example-chris-c/s-qPtzCpLrzk3) It's actually fairly easy to learn and fun to use for play. If anyone is interested in learning how to do this with their voice, feel free to let me know.
> 
> If you feel like coming to yell with or at me on Twitter, I welcome it! My main/cosplay account is ShyloRen and my Pokémon side account is CryptidPiers :) Hope you enjoy!

He cried out as he came once more, spattering the stone and dust with his pleasure, pinned under Raihan’s weight. Raihan wasn’t far behind, dragging Leon back against him a handful more times until he too found satisfaction deep inside Leon’s body.

He whimpered, staying still against the floor, sweat slick along his back between his shoulder blades and cooling fast enough to cause a chill. The shivers skittering through his arms and along his sides to his legs were enough to have his hunter drape himself over Leon, the warmth of him enticing and comforting.

Even here, in the depths of the cave system below the Tundra, the icy air could still manage to find its way to them.

/////

It had been nearly a week in the making.

Piers had come back to the flat post-tour and slept almost a full eighteen hours, jet-lagged and cranky and slowly coming down off the high of months with nothing but honing his craft and bringing his music to new places. They had decided fairly quickly that he was in no state to be by himself, and so he spent half his time with Raihan at the gym, busying himself with paperwork and working in the egg nursery and the other half with Leon at the Battle Tower, helping prospective challengers build their ideal teams and testing them out while they waited their turn in the queue.

It was an ideal setup. Piers was grateful to be able to look up at any given moment and see his lovers after so long away from them. His craving for closeness could be easily remedied when all he had to do was venture down a hallway or two.

And then, somewhere in the midst of it all, Gloria called in her Knights for battle.

Apparently, the Champion _really_ liked the work Leon was doing with both the Battle Tower and the Star Tournament. An all-out Exhibition match, with a twist. For the first time in recent history, one item per team would be permitted, just to make things a little more fun.

Piers had quite literally screamed at the thought of having to stand on a pitch so soon after he’d gotten home.

“Why did I fuckin’ tell her I’d still do matches? Stupid, stupid, fuckin’ _stupid_!” He hissed, punting a ball clear across the room for half a dozen Axews that eagerly zoomed after it.

“Just let her know you can’t make it,” Raihan said, looking up from where he was bathing the single Axew thus far who had gotten tired out. They really did have a truly ridiculous amount of energy. “She’ll understand. You just got back from a world tour! Even Leon would be at half battery by that point.”

“But then there’s an uneven number and it gives someone an advantage,” Piers groaned. “And she’s even worse than Leon when it comes to things bein’ fair.”

They’d gone back and forth on ideas, until the perfect one presented itself in the form of Leon’s crestfallen face at the thought of not being invited.

“It makes sense,” he said with a sad little smile that made Piers want to beat Gloria with his mic stand. “It’s all the gym leaders, and I’ve never been one. I don’t think Hop is going either. He and Sonia can come over and we’ll all watch! It’ll be fun!”

_You wouldn’t survive one round on a game that required you to bluff, you know that?_

“Er, actually, Lee…I was hopin’ you might want to go instead of m—"

“Yes.”

“Huh?”

“Yes, I accept!”

“You don’t even know what I—”

“Of course I will go! I would love to battle in your place, you must be exhausted from the trip, of course! No sense in making it worse, I will certainly be happy to go instead so you can rest and—”

Piers smiled as Leon immediately started to back towards the closet, clearly already intent on deciding what he would wear.

“—don’t you worry, I’ll do my best for Spikemuth!”

“Spikemuth, huh? Not that you wouldn’t look cute in my colours, but if Marnie’s goin’ then we’ve got the city covered.” He snickered at Leon’s Yamper eyes when he poked his head back around the corner to hold out a black turtleneck that had the Spikemuth gym logo on it. “Save it for a concert, Princess. You’d overheat in that anyways and you know Raihan is goin’ to be plottin’ all sorts of weather tricks that would make that thing a nightmare to be caught in when Sunny Day is goin’ full force.”

“But then I have nothing to wear!”

“Hm, now that’s an idea I like.”

“What is?”

“You goin’ naked.”

Leon flushed instantly, ducking back inside the closet with a flustered sound of protest, stripping off his shirt to try some things on.

Piers grinned, following him in and closing the door, leaning against it. Leon was cornered against a line of button downs, wisely keeping his back mostly to the wall while he still tried to comb through his options of things to consider.

He loved how single-minded Leon could get about the prospect of battling.

It made the challenge of taking his mind _off_ of it even more appealing.

“Wouldn’t that be somethin’? You in the cape and nothin’ else?”

Leon resolutely ignored him, pressing his lips together and cheeks darkening further.

“I mean, can’t deny you’d be takin’ first prize in certain sorts of competitions. Then again, Rai has you well beat in others.”

“Ah, no wonder my ears were burning.”

Raihan’s voice just outside the door made Leon jump, and Piers laughed, opening the door just a crack.

“Isn’t the phrase coming _out_ of the closet?” Raihan asked playfully, shaking his head. “What’s all this about competitions?”

“Rai, get in here and tell Leon he should take my place at the tourney while naked.”

Raihan raised a brow, tapping a finger against his chin, a wide smile spreading across his face.

“Ah. In _that_ case, don’t mind if I do,” he said, slipping in while Leon sputtered and flapped a hand at them both. “Are we going with just the cape or just the hat?”

“Raihan, you genius,” Piers said, throwing a smug glance at Leon when he draped his arms around Raihan to kiss his cheek. “Why not both?”

“You two are the _worst_!”

“C’mon, Lee, you know we’re not being serious, but think about it!”

“I _am_ thinking about it. Thinking about Eternatus being within firing range of my dick!”

Piers felt just a little bit guilty for laughing as hard at that as he did, but Raihan’s matching wheezes meant they could be guilty together.

“Oh fuck, that’s—Leon, _no_! Eternatus wouldn’t—Arceus on a wheel, the mental image! What the fuck, Leon, I can’t—Eternatus wouldn’t stand a chance against _that_ dragon!” Raihan shrieked while he leaned against a rack for support.

Leon’s face scrunched up in confusion before realization dawned and it was over for him too, all three of them barely able to stand from how hard they were laughing. They kept trying to continue the joke, none of them drawing enough air to succeed.

“Tamer of dragons!” Piers choked out, face hurting from how widely he was grinning. “Fuckin’—”

“It’s like the worst porn idea—” Raihan added, trying futilely to get ahold of himself.

“Wait, wait, isn’t that Raihan’s role, then?” Leon added, gesturing weakly and attempting to stand upright. “Or is that part of it?”

“What, you tamin’ a literal dragon before Raihan tames you?” Piers asked, raising a brow with a smirk.

“Our record would say that’s the other way around,” Leon said cheekily, sticking his tongue out while Raihan gave him a toothy grin.

“Hm, but getting to have you on the pitch and show everyone that you’re mine? Now that would be some serious motivation.”

“This is _so_ stupid,” Leon giggled, throwing up his hands and turning back towards the clothes. Ah, his mistake, leaving his back undefended. “And _not_ happening.”

“Yep,” Raihan agreed easily, leaning his head on top of Piers’. “Still hot to think about though. Getting to look at all that while we battle. Either of you naked in any capacity does it for me, who cares how dumb the situation is? If there’s even a chance of getting one or both of you all over me, I’m there for it.”

The look on Leon’s face when he glanced back was a mix of incredulous and flattered.

As was his expression when Piers took advantage of his position. He loved the way Leon took in a quick, quiet breath when he put his hands against his bare chest, stroking his fingers through the curls there. He slowly backed him up, pushing him up against the dresser, a thigh between his legs. Feeling Leon’s heartrate pick up when he brushed his thumb over a nipple was always a heady experience. He could feel Raihan at his shoulder, just as hungry for the thought of their lover in naught but his skin and pride on the pitch.

It was mere fantasy, but it didn’t stop the idea from driving them a bit wild.

As Raihan had said, who cared how silly the idea was when it meant that he could touch and hold and kiss his lovers all he wanted? He’d been starved of contact for months, and now with some sleep and his equilibrium returning…

“Rai,” he said, voice low. “Think you’d best him if he was the prize?”

Leon’s eyes widened a bit, and he made an unconvincing sound of protest when Piers slipped behind him, allowing Raihan to advance and tower over him, something intense and beyond arousing in his bearing.

“All this to do whatever I wanted with?” He asked, letting Piers take and guide his touch to Leon’s waistband, teasing the line of it. Leon squirmed a little, clearly at least a little intrigued by the picture they were painting for him.

Defeat at the hand of his most treasured rival, his best friend, one of the two people he loved most in the world. Being brought back like the spoils of war and made to service the better combatant. His conqueror, his Champion, his King.

“I could beat him blindfolded. In the dark, even.”

Leon’s lips parted on a quiet breath, mulling that over. Weighing and testing the feeling of it.

It wasn’t a scary thought anymore. Not like it had been. Not after Raihan’s promises on the Isle.

Raihan quirked a smile at his own joke, and Piers had to take a moment to swallow down his emotion when Leon answered it in kind.

There had been a time when that kind of response would have been unfathomable.

“I’d take that bet,” Leon said, voice breathy and low, baring his neck for Raihan’s attention on it. “Sounds like I win either way.”

Piers felt pride swell in his chest, rewarding his lover with a kiss to his shoulder. He pushed his and Raihan’s hands lower to palm at Leon’s cock, and he arched into their touch. Piers watched as he let all other thought slip from his mind, giving himself over to them.

Trusting them.

It was so, _so_ good to be home.

/////

Leon moaned as he came all over Raihan’s stomach, Piers’ cock buried inside him.

He looked at the feverish, loving gaze under him as Piers reached out to finish Raihan off and decided he liked this fantasy of theirs.

He didn’t think he would lose, of course. And yet the notion of it had him coming hard between them by the time they were tangled on the floor, laughing at their own ridiculousness and how late they all now were for their various appointments.

 _If it happened_ , he thought. If _it happened, what would I do?_

The feeling of brisk air and endless, stunning snow floated at the back of his mind, and he had a feeling he already knew the answer to that.

“The Tundra,” he said to Piers later that night while Raihan showered. “I want…if it actually…” He didn’t know how to say it just yet, but it didn’t particularly matter.

Piers kissed his palm, nodding.

“We’ll be there. With bells on, I’m sure,” he said, throwing a glance towards the bathroom with a soft smile.

That was all that mattered, then.

/////

Of all the things Raihan expected to feel on the day that he finally beat Leon, shock-to-the-point-of-immobility was _not_ one he’d been prepared for.

They’d stared at each other from across the field, matching wide-eyed expressions on their faces as they questioned if they had _actually_ heard the referee call the match in Raihan’s favor.

 _Wait_ , he wanted to say. _Wait just a second, are you_ sure?

It was Duraludon shrinking back to size, his trusted partner’s instincts acknowledging the lack of threat from Charizard that finally did it.

That, or the fact that Duraludon immediately started lumbering towards where Charizard lay still on the pitch, her breathing labored and shallow.

The stadium was nearly silent, everyone in the same state of surprise as the combatants themselves.

Watching his Pokémon make distressed sounds as he tried to nudge her back to consciousness was jarring, and he had time to worry for all of a moment before she blinked her eyes open, a groaning growl emerging as she tried to raise her head enough to acknowledge Duraludon’s fussing.

In the end, it wasn’t even the weather that had finally done her in.

A Quick Claw lay buried under layers of sand. One permitted item per team. The edge Duraludon had needed.

She let her friend touch her snout with his, closing her eyes again in exhaustion when she heard Leon finally move forward to draw her back into her Pokéball.

“Rest, old girl.” The mics barely picked up Leon’s words, but Raihan had keener senses than most. “I’m so proud of you, you did an amazing job.”

No, no, this was all wrong, wasn’t it? This was…

Why was Leon smiling?

Not smiling.

No that was…that was a whole grin on his face. He was _beaming_! A thousand watts of energy and…and genuine happiness and—

He nearly tripped over his own feet when he started walking towards Leon. A hand was already outstretched, waiting to congratulate him.

He started sprinting, and the crowd finally erupted.

When they collided, everything was thrown into sharp relief. Screams and cheers and chants. The clarity was a bucket of cold water dumped over his head, if such a thing were actually incredible and not just…wet and uncomfortable.

He was in no state to be making metaphors.

“You did it!” Leon was yelling excitedly in his ear, and for a moment, they were on a beach of the Isle dusting each other off and spinning each other around. “Raihan, you did it!”

“I did it,” Raihan whispered back, dazed and mind whirling too fast to catch up. “Holy _shit_!”

It was a testament to how gone they both were that Leon didn’t even shush him and remind him of the mics.

When they watched the footage later, Piers howling and giving them a play-by-play of how completely ridiculous they’d looked jumping up and down while shouting at each other, Raihan pulled a mortified Leon into his lap and kissed him senseless.

Much like he had on the pitch.

_And if one day I do manage to beat you, they won’t know how close I’ll hold you after._

Well, they’d have _some_ idea, he supposed as he brushed away the happy, overwhelmed tears streaming down Leon’s cheeks.

 _I love you_ , he thought as he pulled Leon closer, uncaring of the hundreds of thousands of eyes on them. This was just them. No audience could intrude on what he held sacred between his palms.

 _I love you_ , he thought when soft lips yielded under his own. Let him connect them, a declaration to the world that they belonged to each other. So different from shared jokes and the three of them laughing in a closet, and yet entirely the same.

 _I love you_ , he thought when they pulled back and Leon swayed forward, not wanting it to be over. He could feel the brim of the other’s hat poking at his forehead, so he laughed and took it off, letting it fall to the floor to cradle Leon’s head properly before bringing their mouths back together.

 _“Softcore porn,” Piers snickered with a kiss to both of them when the news cycle played it for the fifth time in a row while Leon whined and pleaded with the telly to show literally_ anything _else._

“I love you,” Leon said when they finally parted, and Raihan felt like he’d float away if it weren’t for the strong arms around him. “Rai, I love you _so_ much.”

It felt like they were boys again, just two gangly kids who had known each other their whole lives and still somehow managed to keep learning new things about each other. Every time he thought he had this masterpiece of a human being figured out, there was always something more to find.

He thought about their first meeting. A lifetime ago, or maybe several lifetimes.

It was time, it was _time_ —

“By Slumbering Weald,” Raihan started, unable to keep the giddy smile off his face when Leon looked confused for half a second before his eyes went wide. He had been in love with those eyes from the first battle, before he’d even known what love was. “The Staff of Power? Could it be? Dear Lord of the Weald, the fate of the Valley is in my hand, great burden that it is…”

Leon threw his head back, laughing, the memory washing over them both and making everything in Raihan feel like it was glowing. It felt exactly as incredible as he’d always hoped it would.

“But for I have picked a flower for the man I love, so I can raise a sword for the place I was born.” He raised the victory sign in offer, and Leon mirrored him—indulgent—touching their fingertips to each other’s. Their love for Galar was as ingrained as what they carried between them.

“It will take time to learn the power, and even my soul in the end might be swallowed, but I have lost plenty.” They smirked at the pun, and Raihan brought their foreheads together, closing his eyes.

_Finally, finally._

“I will discard all but this,” he whispered, rubbing their noses together. Trying and failing not to cry when he felt Leon’s shaky breath of relief. “I hold to you, gentlest spirit. My love, my love, my love, you arm and defend me.”

The noise and chaos around them was deafening, but so closely pressed together, it was easy to hear Leon murmur the last line along with him.

“My Sword and my Shield. I will learn, I will fight, I will be victorious, by Slumbering Weald.”

He couldn’t help but kiss Leon again, peppering his face with affection, spinning him around.

“Alright, exactly _how_ long have you been waiting to quote that?” Leon asked with a pleased smirk on his face.

Raihan laughed, shrugging. “Since Sonia threw you a stick and you did the entire thing from memory. I’d never heard the Hero’s monologue before, but it sounded so right coming from you. Even then, as pissed off as I was from losing, I could tell it would be a long time before it would sound right coming from me. So I practiced.”

“You should consider the part the next time the Shauntaleare Company is in town,” Leon said, biting his lip and keeping his voice too low for the mics. “I’d pay good money to hear that monologue again from you while wearing the Hero’s armor.”

“Anything for you, babe!”

They stood, basking in the sound of the crowd for a moment before Leon gave him one more hug and pulled away, wiping the last of his tears from his eyes.

“C’mon, the press will be dying to talk to their new Cha—”

He froze, mouth open as the implications washed over them.

No, that wasn’t right…

Leon wasn’t Champion anymore, but not because Raihan was the one who had taken the title. The look of horrified realization crossed both their faces in the same moment.

Nostalgia had a funny way of making people forget, sometimes.

“Wait…” Raihan breathed, looking up at the leader board, where his line—his path—had advanced to the final tier along with another smiling face. “Oh shit! Oh _shit_ , I still have to face—”

“Gloria!” Leon finished.

 _Well_ , Raihan thought, groaning as he dropped his head onto Leon’s shoulder with a laugh, already at peace and resigned to his fate when Leon started tugging him towards the locker rooms. _It was a nice thought, anyways._ It didn’t matter. Not like this did. Leon’s voice going over stats of Gloria’s Pokémon and all of the strategies Raihan might consider using was more than enough for him.


	2. Before The Shrine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand chapter two! This one will have the majority of the smut in it, and I had such a good time finding the balance of it! Next chapter will have a ton of aftercare and the conclusion of this fic in the series. When I next write for this verse, it will likely be the fic I have been building towards. Oh, and if anyone figures out the silly puzzle Piers gives to Raihan, DO let me know >:)
> 
> The song I listened to for this chapter was [Come and Get Me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8495-bkEthM) by Sleeping Wolf. Trust me when I say it is literally the most perfect thing I have ever heard for this trio concerning the hunt.
> 
> Enjoy! And as always, feel free to find me on Twitter. ShyloRen for my main/cosplay account and CryptidPiers for my nsfw Pokémon side account.

Leon moaned quietly when Raihan slipped back inside him, hips raised to let the other take whatever he wanted, resting his forehead on his arm. He could barely think past the slow, steady way Raihan was claiming him. He wasn’t his own tonight, existing solely to please the appetite of the one who had bested him in combat.

He was covered in marks from nails and teeth and fingers gripping him tightly, adding to them when he scraped his knees against the rough cavern floor to back himself up further against Raihan, needing him as deep as he could go.

He got a growl of warning, but he couldn’t care about moving without permission when the angle made him pant and cry out with every thrust. He was sore from use, his hole slick and puffy and _still_ he wanted more. Needed to be filled over and over to be reminded that Raihan wasn’t going anywhere.

Speech was often beyond them when they reached this point, but Leon could hear _I love you_ in the way Raihan flipped him over so he could look at him while he folded him back and set to breeding him so well it had him coming within minutes, not letting up when it became too much.

He whined and took it anyways, every moment of overstimulated pain better than the last, further and further under while Raihan held his face and watched each twitch and desperately taken breath.

When Raihan finally came, it was with Leon held as tightly to him as he could.

_Safe, safe, safe_ , Leon’s mind chanted to him, barely able to raise his arms to hold Raihan when he heaved a sigh and buried his face in Leon’s hair. He managed nonetheless, unwilling to not have every bit of skin touching that he could while they came back down.

How he had ever doubted that this would be the result of anything he and Raihan did together was beyond him. Poison was stronger than so many things, and he’d nearly let it overpower them more times than he wanted to remember. Raihan was nearly purring, his posture radiating satisfaction as he nuzzled and kissed his jaw, his neck, slipping down to carefully turn Leon over and examine his handiwork, thumbing at Leon’s hole until he squirmed. He could feel the come leaking from him.

A low, wordless murmur reached his ears, and he glanced back at his lover before he suddenly found himself picked up, hastily wrapping his arms and legs around Raihan. He’d never grown used to anyone being able to carry him, and while they could both easily do this with Piers, there was always a moment of surprise when it was one of them with the other.

He loved how strong Raihan was, mind and body alike.

The hunt had been just what he’d needed.

/////

Piers breathed in the snow-laden air and shivered, pleased that Leon had chosen here of all places to disappear. No place like home. Or, at least, what had been home once. He was Spikemuth’s through and through, but if he concentrated hard enough, it was the Tundra that carried his earliest memories.

Raihan paced behind him, eager to get started, and he reached out to still the other, drawing him into a deep, searing kiss. Raihan slowly backed him up against the door of their cabin, and the warmth of him could be felt even under the many layers they were both bundled in.

“You sure I can’t convince you to come with me?” Raihan asked breathlessly when they finally parted.

“I’ll be there,” Piers said, unable to help the bit of a smirk as he thought about his own plans. “Just won’t be joinin’ you on the actual chase.”

Raihan laughed, kissing his temple. “Probably for the best. I see you running and I just might get distracted from my actual target.”

“Get on with you, he’s already got a head start and you’re burnin’ daylight. Oh, I made you these. You know, to help you find our wayward Princess.”

Raihan cocked his head and looked at the cards he was given with confusion. Piers bit his lip, stifling the giggles threatening to give away the game too soon.

“In the caves leading to Crown Shrine, a legend of gold and lavender waits for a warrior. On the cave walls it is written: ‘Only those who …qu.. the ..ro …y ...ck h.. in the ...’” Raihan read, squinting at the truly horrendous drawing below before his eyes flew wide and he shrieked, immediately sending Piers into hysterics.

“Is this supposed to be—”

“—welcome to Peony’s Adven-tours!” Piers howled, quickly throwing the door open in an attempt to escape when Raihan grabbed for his waist. “Good luck findin’ the legendary, mate!”

“Cheeky bastard!” Raihan yelled, cackling and scooping Piers up while the other hollered and was slung over Raihan’s shoulder.

“Oi! Put me down!”

They were both laughing when Raihan tossed him down onto the bed they’d all be sharing when they managed to make their way back, sitting on him with a grin.

“Terrible,” he scolded, and Piers shrugged innocently, wrapping his arms around Raihan’s neck when he leaned down for another kiss.

“S’not my fault Peony has good ideas.”

Raihan snorted, shaking his head.

“Family fun corrupted by your deviance!” He mock-gasped, and Piers felt his heart nearly beat its way from his chest at how beautiful Raihan always looked with a smile crinkling the skin under his eyes. He traced his thumbs over Raihan’s brows, already missing his face though they’d only be apart for a few hours.

Raihan’s eyes fluttered shut, a soft sigh cutting their mirth down to size. Manageable once more, and the taste of laughter still sweet on their tongues.

“You love my deviance,” Piers said, mostly because if he didn’t speak, they wouldn’t be leaving the bed.

“I do,” Raihan said, opening his eyes just to roll them. “Arceus help me.”

“Please. Like you aren’t itchin’ to go find Leon and get up to some deviance of your own.”

Raihan glanced towards the door, and Piers sat them up, tapping Raihan’s nose with a finger.

“I’ll be in the innermost cave closest to the shrine,” he said, voice low. “Bring our treasure there, yeah?”

Raihan’s eyes were heat and desire and a thousand promises when he nodded and kissed Piers’ neck before pulling away, lingering at the door while they looked at each other a moment longer.

Fuck, he loved this man so much.

Neither said anything more when Raihan finally turned to begin the chase, but the jaunty little salute he sent Piers’ way as he closed the door had the singer chuckling, laying back against the bed as he considered what he’d need to bring.

Right, then.

First, to clear the area of any potential explorers…

/////

Raihan rolled his neck, leaning against a chilled wall of the cave to get the feel of the place cemented in him once more. It had been a long while since he had been here, not tied to the Tundra as Piers was through family and blood. Leon could claim tentative kinship to it through the sheer amount of trips he had made here in his youth, but besides the mountains between the Tundra and Postwick, Raihan had spent relatively little time this far South.

Caves were caves though, and the hum of them resonated in him nonetheless. He’d never quite figured out if his connection to places like this was based on something innate or something learned, but it hardly mattered either way when they embraced him so readily.

And there was something familiar about the way it felt. The way it held him despite this part of the world barely knowing him.

The Isle had always been his home away from home, but he looked at the glittering gems amid rough, barren stone and thought of Spikemuth’s lights.

_Ah, that makes sense then._

The caves between their cities were his, and long had been, both in a treaty made a thousand years before either of them drew breath and in the way they called to him. But here…

_I love you_ , he thought, running his fingers over a glittering pink jewel buried deep enough in the rock that it would be hundreds of years and a shift in the earth before it ever worked its way free. _I love this place that feels like you._

He let himself rest a while longer, warm thoughts chasing off the cold air. If Piers was ever away from them for so long again, perhaps he and Leon could come here while they waited.

Eventually, he stretched and breathed in deep, letting go of everything that wasn’t the task at hand. These caves were vast. Older and darker than the ones back home. If he wanted to find his prey, he would have to have his wits about him.

He listened, looked between two paths, and started walking.

/////

They moved further into the caves, and Leon felt a sudden wave of trepidation flood him when he realized _why_ he was being carried rather than chased again through the corridors.

_Piers._

The other strength in their life.

The one he’d failed in front of thousand of people while foolishly, defiantly wearing his colours.

His face burned with shame.

He had blatantly ignored Piers’ reminder that Marnie would be the one representing Spikemuth, and not only had he lost, he had lost while defending Spikemuth’s position in the ranks.

And then…

_No_.

_No wait, but that meant…_

He suddenly realized that because he and Marnie had both lost consecutively, it automatically dropped their collective yearly score to…

He immediately started fighting Raihan’s hold on him.

Apparently, Raihan had been waiting for it after the trick he had pulled earlier.

His back slammed into the wall, a fierce snarl on Raihan’s face as he readied himself for another round of clawing at each other.

That was all it took for the fight to go right out of Leon.

A spark that never fully ignited as he considered how much he deserved whatever punishment Piers would see fit to bestow on him. As if Spikemuth didn’t have enough to worry about, he’d gone and put their position in the upper league in jeopardy.

He was _such_ a—

Raihan made a confused, suspicious sound when Leon slumped against the stone before putting his head under Raihan’s, apologizing for momentarily forgetting his place. He would accept Raihan’s discipline if needed, and he closed his eyes in gratitude when Raihan merely loosened his grip, bringing them both down to their knees together.

Leon watched him struggle to find his voice, the sound of it strained and awkward while they were still mentally far, far away from the need for it, but it was still soothing on Leon’s worries.

“Do you need to stop?” He rasped, and Leon shook his head, looking away.

No. No, he didn’t need to stop. Wanting to was another matter, but even then, it was out of shame and guilt rather than being pushed to any limits. And nothing he couldn’t overcome once he had Piers’ disappointment fucked or fought out of him.

Raihan touched their foreheads together as he had on the pitch, licking into Leon’s mouth until Leon was on his back once more, needing the distraction and nearly succeeding in coaxing Raihan into another round before the other pulled back with a smirk and a jerk of his head.

This time, he didn’t get the privilege of being carried. Instead, a hand at the back of his neck to guide him where Raihan wanted to go meant he would walk into his own punishment.

He kept close to Raihan’s side and went willingly, wondering why his breath was coming so much shorter now than when he’d been running and enjoying the hunt.

/////

_Closer, closer—_

And there, after nearly two hours of searching and wandering, his beautiful, perfect prey!

His entire body coiled to spring, to start running and chase down the magnificent prize leaning against a boulder, unhidden and unclothed. One leg bent to rest his arm on while the other laid flat.

No tenseness, no vigilance, no…

Wait…

Was he asleep?

Raihan didn’t even realize he’d moved until he was leaning over his quarry, tracing his fingers over the soft hair of Leon’s beard. He watched lavender eyelashes flutter open and look at him in confusion before they suddenly flew wide as Leon realized where he’d been napping.

A warm, pleased feeling settled in Raihan’s chest at the thought of Leon letting himself be exhausted after everything. He had a bad habit of clinging to adrenaline as his source of energy, and to see him let it drain away long enough to actually fall asleep mid-hunt was endearing beyond belief.

Leon froze when he let his approval be known by bending to nibble at the front of his throat. A shaky breath graced his ears, and he felt the pulse under his lips quicken when he slid his arms under Leon’s legs to slink up close and grind their bodies together.

He was nowhere near the mood he’d been in when they last played like this, not needing to sink too far down into his more basic nature to enjoy every bit of it. So what if he wouldn’t get to chase Leon, the last ten years had been enough chase for h—

His world suddenly tilted on its axis as he was flipped, an elbow digging into his back to get him winded before Leon suddenly sprang up and ran, disappearing within seconds around the corner.

He lay face down, eyes wide and stunned at how quickly that had happened before he scrambled to his feet and practically flew towards where Leon had vanished, snarling.

Leon wanted it like _that_ , did he?

He could practically hear the echo of Piers’ laughter as he shook his head to get his bearings, looking around wildly for which direction Leon might have gone.

_In the caves leading to Crown Shrine…_

He did an abrupt course correction, moving up the path he knew led to the top.

_Faster, move faster, don’t let him get too far ahead, or you’ll lose him._

Not this time.

He raced towards the summit, charged towards his goal until—

_I’ll be in the innermost cave closest to the shrine._

Wait…

_Bring our treasure there._

He slowed, every sense on high alert, feeling something electric skitter down his spine before he finally came to a stop.

Leon’s mind was ever-fixated on the history of the past, Raihan’s on the future, and every so often, both of those things collided in the present.

Leon’s journey to the top was now a tale of his climb back down the mountain. A return home from battle. Raihan’s was still ongoing, and they were meant to pass each other on the way. That would have been the end of it, once upon a time. An accepted and acceptable outcome.

It would have been alright, once, to do as they had always done. Leon would have gone to the shrine. Raihan would have followed. They’d have battled, and someone—likely Leon—would have won.

But things were different now. _Had_ been different, for a while, in the best of ways.

No one besides him knew Leon’s mind better than Piers. Their center force in moments like these. The one who caught them on the way up or down and kept them in each other’s space for long enough to realize that what they really wanted was to move in the same direction.

If Piers was waiting in the place just before the earth opened back up again, that meant he knew Leon wouldn’t pass him. And that meant…

He looked back in the direction he’d come.

In the caves below Hammerlocke, he and Leon had made sure their hunting pattern kept Piers from doubling back.

This time, he was going it alone.

There were a thousand paths leading back to the beginning. One lonely one to the top.

When he started running again, it was in the direction of what he wanted.

/////

Leon had only a split second to realize Raihan had caught on to him before he was skidding across the cavern floor with his hunter snapping and growling above him.

It was the split second he needed to clear his mind of everything but the fight and throw Raihan off of him, rolling to crouch at the ready, every lesson he had ever learned at the Dojo in the front of his mind.

_You musn’t think like yourself, my boy._

_How ought I think, then, if not like myself?_

_Why, anyone at all! If your opponent is smart, they won’t be thinking as themselves either. Two strangers, a test of the purest kind of skill. No advantage or disadvantage when everything is new._

He feinted to the side, to see who he was facing.

Raihan would have matched him, stroke for stroke.

The warrior before him went opposite and forward, crowding him back towards the wall.

Not Raihan, then.

_If you figure out who you’re fighting, you’ve won. But don’t forget not to focus too hard on that, or it will already be too late. Instead, adapt to the person before you. I’ve never met anyone who could do that quite like you._

It wasn’t until so much later that he had realized there was more than one use for getting in someone’s head. An unwanted, patronizing smile distracted him long enough for Raihan to get him cornered.

His hunter came right for him, rather than toy with him some more, and he let out a quiet breath of relief.

Not Rose, then. He was safe.

Onward, then, to battle.

They collided, and the collateral damage of teeth and nails and bodies being rough with each other went unheeded.

Under, over, grappling and clawing and dancing back only to be drawn back in like magnets, unable to keep their hands off each other.

Not Piers, not Sonia, _not LanceNessaMiloKabuGordieBeaOpalPeonyMustard_ —

Every hiss.

_Who?_

Every pained groan.

_Who am I fighting?_

Every snarl.

_I want to know you._

Mustard would be glad to know that he’d been right.

He didn’t figure it out until it was already too late, pinned on his back and thoroughly out of what little energy his sleep had granted him. He’d been exhausted since the exhibition match, as the tension of having anything left to prove had fallen off his shoulders.

Raihan’s eyes were intense, trained on him and waiting for whatever might come next and…and…

_It’s you,_ he suddenly realized. _It’s been you the whole time only…not you. A different version of yourself. One who learned the same things I did, but sooner. You knew I’d be someone else, but you’ve always been the quickest of us. How many seconds did it take for you to see through me?_

He swallowed hard, feeling unexpectedly known.

Ridiculous, for it to be unexpected and yet…

_I want to know you_ , he thought again, letting the need to claw his way out of defeat drain from him. _Every version of you._ _I can never get enough of it. Knowing you. Learning you. I still have so much left to find out, it seems._

His body felt good like this, pliant and calm and ready for anything Raihan might want of it.

He watched Raihan assess him, flexed his hands in the hunter’s hold until Raihan let go, only to slowly draw them up to sitting, bringing Leon into his lap. His face was so close. So close.

_You came back for me_. Raihan rubbed their cheeks together, bringing his fingers to where Leon had already thoroughly prepared himself while he’d waited for Piers’ message that the hunt had begun. He shuddered and dropped his forehead to Raihan’s shoulder, encouraging the touches with little noises of acceptance. _You said you’d always be my rival, my friend, mine. You could have kept going. Could have won even against the Champion, could have kept running towards the top of this very mountain. But you came back for me instead._

This was their victory. Their balance. What use did he have for any other sort of triumph when this was the kind his soul and voice cried out for? When Raihan connected their bodies and they were able to climb to the top together?

It was one thing to learn in his head.

It was another thing entirely to know with his heart.

/////

Piers smiled when Raihan and Leon came into view, the two of them as bedraggled as he might have expected. Raihan’s expression was solar energy for all he was glowing with the pleasure of having come who knew how many times so far that day. His eyes were intent on Piers, pride in the set of his shoulders that said he knew what a lovely prize he was delivering to his mate tonight.

And as for said prize…

Eyes down and dimmer than he’d thought they’d be. Shoulders curved towards Raihan which…odd, but understandable he supposed.

Ah, he’d hoped they’d managed to avoid this, but it seemed they weren’t so lucky. Leon’s fear of losing ran deep, cultivated carefully by Rose and the League at large. It was never a burden though to remind him again that it wasn’t just Raihan’s love he had nothing to worry about.

It changed his plans a little, but certainly not to their detriment. No, he could most certainly work with this.

Raihan sunk down to the nest of blankets he’d made, greeting him with a low rumble of contentment and satisfaction as their mouths met in an extension of the kiss from earlier. One full of that same promise he’d seen in the cabin.

He’d been waiting for hours, and he was in no mood to waste any further time.

He rolled over when Raihan gave a last nibble to his bottom lip, arching his back to present himself to his mate. A gift of his own for the one Raihan had brought back for him. He was practically purring, keeping his eyes on Leon as Raihan growled and slid possessive hands along the line of his back, down his sides to his waist.

His hair was moved to the side, caught up in a tight grip and wrapped around Raihan’s fist to hold him fast.

_Yes_ , his mind whispered where his voice could not. _Yes, yes, take me like this. You did so well, earned every bit of tonight._

A hand wrapped around his throat, two fingers under his choker to feel his pulse. Tightening slowly, not to deprive him of air, but to warn him against any sudden moves. There were days he would test that warning, but today most certainly wasn’t one of them.

He conveyed the message by going limp in Raihan’s hold, pressing his throat more fully into Raihan’s grip and willingly taking the sting and burn at his scalp as gravity pulled his hair tighter.

_Anything_ , he would have said any other night. _Anything, like you give me anything when I ask it of you._

He was rewarded with a sound of understanding so perfect and deep that it set something aching in him. It had been so long since he’d let himself need, caught between distance and his inability to let go of control very often, but something about being away for so long had him ready and eager to let himself be brought low so he could experience the inevitable high he knew Raihan could bring him to.

_Watch me_ , he thought to Leon. _Watch us, see how there’s nothing to worry about._

The hand in his hair loosened, the one around his throat disappeared, and both returned to part his thighs and spread him open.

He hadn’t prepared himself at all this time, excited and enticed by the thought of how much it would hurt no matter how slow they went. He wanted to be mindless with it. Nowhere to turn but inward to a haven of quiet while he gave the rest of himself over to Raihan’s care.

He jolted when, instead of Raihan’s thick cock splitting him open, a warm, wet tongue lapped at his rim.

Oh…oh _yes_.

All thoughts vanished as he moaned his approval and laid his cheek against folded arms, keeping his legs spread wide so Raihan had access to as much of him as he wanted.

Fuck, he loved when Raihan did this. Couldn’t get enough of how intimate it was, after a lifetime of so few caring for the things that made him feel good. It never failed to drive him wild, sensitive nerves alight as Raihan mimicked how well he would fuck him when he decided to take what was his. In and out, with a hand fondling his cock, the movement growing slick with every pass of Raihan’s hand. It would ease the way a little, get him relaxed enough to take his entirety of Raihan without sacrificing the burn of too much, too soon.

Piers hazily opened his eyes to see Leon lying not far from them, a sad, yearning expression on his face that paused his descent into subspace. Had something happened during the hunt? Fuck, it was so hard to think like this.

He made a soft sound of encouragement, extending one hand out for Leon to take, and the worry in his chest loosened a little when Leon quickly got up and crawled over to him, keeping himself low before he hesitantly took Piers’ hand in his.

They stayed like that, watching each other as Piers slowly fell apart beneath the strokes of Raihan’s tongue. He was panting, whining, needing to be filled with his mate. Raihan’s weight settling over him had him whimpering quietly, knowing it would hurt without the benefit of real prep and not caring either way.

Raihan went slow— _so_ slow—knowing both their limits. Every inch was agony, and Piers keened and gripped Leon’s fingers tight, letting the pain overwhelm and claim him. He loved the hum of adrenaline flooding his system to compensate, the thrill of his favorite high.

Raihan pulled him up to all fours, a steady growl in his chest as he worked in the last bit, fully sheathed in Piers’ body. Now, it was just a waiting game as Piers shivered and allowed himself to adjust.

He drifted along in the shadows, melting in with them, body going lax. He was ready, and still Raihan waited a moment longer, just in case.

When he couldn’t stand it anymore, he reached his free hand back to hold Raihan’s thigh, tugging at it until Raihan began to test the waters, little shunts of his hips that nearly knocked Piers’ sense loose from the first.

Raihan deserved this. His mate and his preymate all in one place. His to do what he pleased with. He couldn’t wait to watch the two of them. To make certain Leon could enjoy the experience fully without any of those lingering feelings of defeat or shame.

He was half lost in the rhythm of it before he suddenly felt a touch to his arms. He blinked his eyes open to find Leon still keeping low, eyes still down, but brushing his face over Piers’ skin. Requesting something just past Piers’ ability to think around the way Raihan was lighting him up from the inside out.

He murmured his assent to whatever it was, and Leon ducked under one of his arms, worming his way beneath him until he was mimicking Piers’ own position under Raihan. Piers hissed when his cock rubbed up against warm, slick skin, biting instinctively at the back of Leon’s neck to keep him right there.

What was Raihan’s was his, and he gave a growl of his own when Raihan made a pleased sound and fucked into him harder, knowing he’d need to set the pace for them both.

Leon’s hole was sloppy and used and open from Raihan’s cock, and he needed to do little more than push their prey’s shoulders to the ground to bury himself in him. The ease of it had his mind going blank, and Leon nearly wailed over how deep he could get like this. The sound of it was slick. Filthy.

So. Fucking. _Good!_

Leon’s fingers scrabbled at the cavern floor, clenching tight around Piers, which in turn had him gasping and doing the same around Raihan’s cock. There was nothing in the world better than being between them like this, with Leon nearly out of his mind with need and Raihan feeling on top of the world.

It meant he could finally let his own thoughts blur together, could sink down, down, to that place he so rarely let himself go. Being anything less than alert and prepared to halt everything should it be needed was a generally terrifying sensation, and one he could only let go of when Raihan made it safe to do so.

He could tell Raihan was still fully present, fully in control of them all, and the kisses pressed to his neck, the way Raihan laid a hand over his heart, stroked the other through his hair was all the permission he needed.

When he came, nuzzling between Leon’s shoulder blades, he barely caught the low, mournful sound Leon made as he was filled, still hard and dripping against the ground. He pulled out, weakly trying to get Leon to turn over until Raihan took the hint and pulled at Leon’s shoulder, rolling him to his back. Leon’s voice pitched up sharply when Piers blearily nosed his way down to get his mouth on Leon’s cock to make up for not letting him finish first.

A less hazy version of himself would have wondered why in the world it was that simple act that finally got Leon under, the both of them firmly in a place where little could touch them. As it stood, it merely made him purr and sink down until he could feel Leon at the back of his throat.

He didn’t even realize Raihan had pulled out, too lost in the fuzzy warmth enveloping him. A low growl was at his ear, his mate carefully moving him off to settle to the left of Leon. He had time to pout for all of a moment before Raihan loomed over their prey, and oh, _that_ was a lovely sight.

He laid on his side and watched with relief as Leon accepted it without hesitation. He let Raihan arrange his limbs, kept his legs spread wide, mouth falling open when Raihan thrust back inside him.

Raihan didn’t move, simply opting to settle over Leon, just looking. Their beautiful treasure. His fingers brushed through sweaty bangs while Piers reached his own hand out to caress Leon’s cheek. Raihan took advantage of the way Leon turned his face into the touch, laying slow, bruising kisses along his neck.

Leon’s eyes were far away, deep under, his voice breaking on pleading sounds until Raihan gave him what he needed and started a slow, intense rhythm. Piers watched the play of what little light existed over them, shadows caressing them in his stead. They smoothed down Raihan’s shoulders and back, the beloved features of his face. Kissed Leon’s chest, his his lips, and Piers felt a rare jealousy take hold.

He roused himself to his knees so it was his own shadow darkening Leon’s face, leaning down to do the kissing himself. Slow circuits wherever Raihan wasn’t already touching, until the last of whatever Leon had been holding onto melted away.

Had he misunderstood, then? Had Leon’s worries not had anything to do with Raihan at all, but him?

It made no sense, especially with how addled he was, but that was often what this was all for. Making sense of things. He’d figure it out just as soon as they were safely in the cabin again.

Right now…

He turned his face upwards to kiss under Raihan’s jaw, feeling each shaky breath he took in against his lips as Raihan drew closer and closer to the edge. His fingers traced along the other’s ear, back into his locs, and Raihan moaned and snarled as he met his end, spilling deep inside Leon with Piers held tight to his side.

/////

They stayed like that for a long, long while.

/////

_So patient_ , Raihan thought, rumbling his contentment to them. They had done so well for him, let him bask in his victory and their attention, and now it was his turn to do the same for them.

Had he not been wrung dry, seeing Piers already hard would have had him going wild. It usually took him a while to be ready again, and for it to be this soon meant he was far enough under that his body was the thing thoroughly in control.

It meant Raihan had done his job well, and that…

“Your trust is everything to me,” he choked out, the words strange and difficult, but he needed to say them so badly. Needed them both to hear. Piers blearily looked up, confusion in the pinch of his brow, trying to figure out if he was hearing the words to end the scene, or something else.

And it was, in a way. They would be done here, soon, but not yet…not yet…

He pulled Piers into his lap, tucked up close on one side, an arm encircling him to take his cock in hand while he rested against Raihan’s chest. His other stroked down Leon’s hip, watching golden eyes disappear behind his eyelids when he fit his length into his palm, stroking them both. He let the lingering fog in his mind begin to clear.

This wasn’t their flat, wasn’t the cave beneath their home. There would be no slow and steady transition from instinct to awareness, but it didn’t detract one bit from how satiated he was. How easily this brought the sheer breadth and depth of what he felt for his mates, his lovers, to the surface.

“Go ahead, sweetheart.”

Whispered into Piers’ ear, the words blending and slurring. It didn’t matter.

Piers’ hand gripped his wrist weakly, legs twitching and drawing in closer as he obeyed and fell apart, slicking Raihan’s fist with his come.

He drew it out, still stroking, running a thumb over the slit the way Piers liked, taking everything he had to give.

_Everything, everything, everything._

He let the word rattle around in his mind, others rising up to join it as he turned his attention to Leon, watching him cry out and make a mess of his stomach and chest, all three of them trembling in the aftermath.

_Forever, the three of us, always, always—_

That’s _what I want._

/////

Raihan stared at Gloria from across the pitch, and arrived at the most complicated yet simple conclusion he had ever known.

He wondered if Leon and Piers could see it in the way his shoulders relaxed, the way he stood a little straighter. No need for a dragon’s crouch here.

There was no treasure to defend, nothing for Gloria to take, because…

_This isn’t what I want._

She wiped the floor with his team, and he just couldn’t stop grinning.

It was definitely the best loss selfie he ever took.


End file.
